Rolling mill

ABSTRACT

A rolling mill having cantilevered rolls of generally conical shape whose axes lie at an acute angle to the direction of stock movement.

[ 1 Feb.27, 1973 ROLLING MILL [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS [75] inventor: Hermann Leitner, Langenfeld, Germany 72/100..........72/35 5/1964 Arata.....................................72/100[73] Assignee: Siemag Siegener Masehinenbau 293 165 2,1884 Haas GmbHDahlbmch Germany 2,163,196 6/1939 Findlater..... [22] Filed: March 1,1971 3,132,545

Primary Examiner-Lowell A. Larson Attorney-Norman S. Biodgett [21] Appl.No.: 119,617

ABSTRACT ye Uh at r mm fn 03 S 6 mm m mm m. w.- 0 mm 8 Get m e w flk mtln u e D c m 2 aw s .mw M n w C l m 5 "He l mw o .mlo H fi 0& rum 0-].Acd 88 6 71%2 l nu w w w n m 9 W mm8 m W 6 m mm5 3 I 2 m T mmm MWS I.. CWM Umm 1]] 2 00 555 ROLLING MILL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is wellknown that it is advantageous to provide a rolling mill with a rollerhead with cantilever-supported rolls whose axes are sloped toward therolling stock. Such roller heads are used on diagonal rolling mills forthe reduction of rolling stock of round cross-section and are usuallydriven through a planetary gear in such a way that, in a single pass,considerable cross-section reductions are achieved. The driven rollersare arranged around the rolling stock in such a way that they give therolling stock an advance during rolling on the rolling stock withoutturning the rolling stock. However, the adjustment of this type ofrollers has been found to be a problem. Since the adjustment determinesthe final cross-section of the stock, it is desirable to create a devicewhich is capable of bringing about a fast and uniform change-over of theaxial position of the roller with little expenditure of work and whichpermits the rollers to be adjusted separately and selectively for therequired amount of correction. Furthermore, it has been a problem withsuch adjustable devices to make the rollers exchangeable on theirshafts. On the prior art devices with rollers, it has been necessary,during the exchange of rollers, to move or pull back their shafts aconsiderable distance, which distance often exceeded the range ofadjustment which is required for the shifting in respect to thedifferent rolling stock dimensions as well as the different dimensionsof the bevel rollers. These and other difficulties experienced with theprior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the presentinvention.

It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide arolling mill constructed so that it is possible to determine the axialposition of bevel rollers in roller heads so that they can be rapidlyadjusted without considerable technical expenditure requirements.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a rolling millhaving a special design for the tightening of the roller to keep thenecessary adjustment range small and reduce it so far that it may beselected only on the basis of the variation range required for theadjustment.

With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of partsset forth in the specification and covered by the claims appendedhereto.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In general, the invention consists of a rollingmill in which the shafts of bevel rollers are designed as hollow shaftsin which sliding sleeves are held and locked against turning withadjusting means determining their axial positions. The sliding sleevesare penetrated by tension rods which always lie with a collar engaging ashoulder of the sliding sleeve and serve to tighten the bevel rollers bythreaded means against the free end of the sliding sleeves.

It is advantageous to equip the sliding sleeves with threads whichengage threads inside adjusting sleeves, the latter being securedagainst axial displacement inside the hollow shafts. The adjustingsleeves are connected on one side against turning with the hollowshafts, so that unintentional movement during operation is prevented. Ithas proven to be of advantage to design the adjusting sleeves in such away that, after disconnecting the connection against turning, they areturned against the hollow shaft by driving devices. For practicalpurposes, this is achieved in such a way that the adjusting sleeves canbe operated by one or by several driving devices. In a preferred design,special adjusting devices can be dropped by connecting selectivecontrollable coupling sleeves to the adjusting sleeves which, in one oftheir positions, connect the adjusting sleeves against turning with theroller head housing and, in the other position, are connected to thehollow shaft. In the first of these positions, by driving the hollowshafts and arresting the adjusting sleeves, relative turning is broughtabout between the two, which activates the adjustment. In the secondposition of the coupling sleeve, this connection is interrupted and theadjusting sleeve is arrested. It was recognized to be of advantage toconnect a pressure fluid adjusting device to the coupling sleeves whichselectively can operate the coupling sleeves. For practical purposes,the pressure media adjusting device was designed in such a way that itworks only from one side and operates against a spring which can tightenthe coupling sleeves in the direction of a form-locking engagementinside the hollow shaft.

By tightening the bevel roller against the sliding sleeves by means of aspecial tension rod, it is possible that, in order to exchange the bevelrollers, only a minor retraction in the axial direction is necessary.The exchange is brought about by providing a carrier part connected tothe bevel roller with a detachable connection and by tension rodsengaging the carrier part, these tension rods being retained againstturning and in tension by form-locking, extending means operativeagainst the sliding sleeves. With this arrangement, a special overloadsafety device can be connected, which can react against any overstressdue to the rolling forces and also against exceeding torsion momentums.The carrier parts are protected within the root area of the bevelrollers by a predetermined breaking point under stress by thecorresponding adjust forces and the driving momentum. A retraction ofthe bevel rollers for roller exchange may be prevented completely whenthe carrier at the side of the sliding sleeve is designed in such a waythat its bevel of the cone has a tip angle which exceeds double theslope angle of the roller shaft against the rolling stock axis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The character of the invention,however, may be best understood by reference to one of its structuralforms, as illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of a rolling millconstructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention,and

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of a modified form ofthe rolling mill.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 shows a conical roll 1 inwhich the roll head contains three conical rolls arranged at from eachother. The conical rolls are equipped with a left-hand thread forreceiving a carrier part 2. By selecting the left-hand thread, thecarrier part 2, through the momentum of the operation, is screwedtightly into the conical roll 1. The carrier part 2 is of aconical-shaped design with a large pointed angle and is positioned withthe base of the cone against the support areas of the conical roll 1. Atthe elevation of these support areas, the cross-section of the carrierpart is reduced toward a fracture point 3, and within the front part ofthe carrier part 2 are arranged keyways 4 for engaging the toolsnecessary for loosening the carrier part 2 in the conical roll 1.However, the tools may also be used for the removal of the sheared-offremains of carrier part from the roll. The roll 1 is initially pressedwith its carrier part 2 against a correspondingly conically shapedrecess of a sliding sleeve 5 by means of a tension rod 6. The rod issupported with its collar 7 resting on a shoulder 8 of the slidingsleeve 5 and is threadedly engaged at the front end with a correspondingfemale thread formed in the carrier part 2. The tension rod 6 can betightened and loosened with a tool which engages a square head 9arranged on the opposite end of the rod. The carrier part 2 is securedagainst turning by a key 10 which engages oppositely positioned keywaysformed on the carrier part and the sliding sleeve 5. The sliding sleeveSis movable lengthwiseand is secured against turning by a key 11engaging keyways and is held inside the hollow shaft 12. The latter isdriven through bevel gears 13 and 14 by a planetary shaft 15. The axialposition of the sliding sleeve 5 may be adjusted by an adjusting sleeve16 which has a male thread which engages a female thread in the slidingsleeve 5 and is rotatably supported inside the hollow shaft. The adjustsleeve 16 is secured against axial displacement by a collar 17, oneflank of which is supported by the front area of a bearing 18 and theother flank of which is supported by the front area of a supporting ring19. This type of design assures that, during turning of the adjustingsleeve (which is supported for turning but blocked and supported againstaxial displacement), the thread of the adjusting sleeve screws itselffurther into the inside thread of the sliding sleeve 5, the latter beingprevented from taking part in the turning by a key 11. By a relativeturning motion of the adjusting sleeve 16 relative to the sliding sleeve5 and also of the hollow shaft 12, the axial position of the slidingsleeve can be selectively determined and with it the conical roll 1.Basically, such a turning movement of the adjusting sleeve 16 could bemade manually with a tool; for practical purposes, the adjusting sleeve16 is locked against turning after the adjustment by the connectingsleeve 16 with the sliding sleeve 5 or the hollow shaft 12. In thedesign example, however, the controlled adjustment is made by a powerdrive without an additional power drive being necessary. The drive isactivated through the planetary shaft which, for example, may beactivated by the super-imposed motor of the planetary drive of theroller head and can be used forthe axial adjustment of the three bevelrollers of the roller head. On the rear section of the adjusting sleeve16 is displaceably arranged a coupling sleeve 20, which is kept fromturning by lugs 21 resting in keyways in the adjusting sleeve 16 and ismaintained under tension by a spring 22 in the working position shown.In this posi tion, the coupling sleeve has teeth 23 which engage spacesbetween oppositely-positioned teeth of the ho]- low shaft 12. By theintroduction to a ring piston 24 (guided inside a ring-shaped cylinder)of air pressure through a connection 25, the ring piston is pushed backagainst the force of the spring 26 and carries the coupling sleeve 20over a disc 27. By this movement, the teeth 23 of the coupling sleeve 20move axially away from the oppositely positioned teeth on the hollowshaft 12, so that the locking connection between the hollow shaft andthe coupling sleeve is loosened and with it also the adjusting sleeve16. By the completion of the stroke of the ring piston, the teeth 28move into engagement with the gear 29 which is fixed to the shafthousing 36. Now the adjusting sleeve 16 is locked against turningrelative to the shaft housing 30 by the coupling sleeve 20. If thesuper-imposed motor of the planetary drive is now electricallyenergized, the planetary shaft 15 is driven and, consequently, drivesthe hollow shaft 12. The latter, through its turning, carries thesliding sleeve 5, so that the sliding sleeve is now turned with respectto the adjusting sleeve 16, operated by ring piston 24 and connectedagainst turning relative to the shaft housing 30. Through thisoperation, an axial displacement of sliding sleeve 5 is brought aboutwith the threads connecting the adjusting sleeve 16 and, consequently,the adjustment of the conical roll 1 is achieved.

As previously shown, for axial adjustment of the conical rolls, it isonly necessary to apply air pressure to the ring piston, so that thecoupling sleeves 20 can be pushed from their base position into anoperating position. Energization of the super-imposed motor activates acontrolled drive of the planetary shafts 15 associated with the rollhead and with it the hollow shafts 12 with the corresponding adjustingsleeves 16. The sleeves, however, do not take part in the turningmovement, because of the assigned coupling sleeves 20 with theircorrespondingly connected shaft housings 30, but, through their relativeturning, they act against the sliding sleeve 5, the axial displacementof which is carried over to the rolls 1 as an adjusting movementrelative to the rolling stock 31. Since it is sufficient in general tomake such adjustments with the roll head stopped, it is not necessary tooperate a rotation bridging when the pressure fluid is introduced. It isalways sufficient to feed the cylinder spaces in front of the ringpiston 24 from one pressure fluid manifold line 33 which is equippedwith one connecting fitting 35. When the roll head comes to a stop forexecuting of the axial adjust movements of the rolls, a stationarypressure fluid source is connected to the fitting 35, for example, byflexible hoses, so that all ring pistons of the roll head receive equalpressure and all coupling sleeves are brought in operative position atthe same time for making axial adjustments. Between the annular pressurefluid line 33 and the cylinder spaces are always arranged shut-offvalves 34 which permit any one ring piston 24 and its coupling sleeve 20to be excluded from the adjustment. This also makes it possible to makecorrections of the axial adjustment of the individual conical rolls ofthe roll head. In case the rolls are not to be adjusted, but onlyexchanged (or when the remainder of the carrier part 2 connected withthe sliding sleeve 5 is to be removed after a break on the fracturepoint 3), then a cover 32 of the corresponding shaft housing can belifted; the square end 9 of tension rod if then rendered accessible sothat the carrier part 2 may be screwed out. If the tension rod 6 is nowpulled up so far that the rear flank of its collar 7 pushes against thefront side of adjusting sleeve 16, the conical roll 1 and the carrierpart 2 are free. The flat conical shape of the carrier part 2 permitsits removal to the front (in the drawing, towards the right-hand side)without it being necessary to pull back the sliding sleeve 5 first.

FIG. 2 shows a possible variation of the construction of the rollingmill. This figure shows in longitudinal section a shaft with a conicalroll associated with a roll head which, in a manner similar to thatshown in FIG. 1, has a total of three roll shafts displaced from eachother by 120. It is also assumed that the drive of the shown rollershaft is made by a planetary gear through a planetary shaft and a bevelgear pair, similar to those shown in FIG. 1. According to FIG. 2, aconical roll 36 is used which is clamped directly against a supportingarea of a sliding sleeve 37 and is secured against turning byinterlocking elements on this sliding sleeve and the roll. Tightening isbrought about by means of a tension rod 38 extending through the slidingsleeve 37; a shoulder formed on the rod is supported on a supportingarea of the sleeve and its thread engages a clamping part 39. The latterextends through a central bore in the roll 36 and is tightened by meansof a ring nut 40. Between a supporting area 41 on the sliding sleeve 37and the face of the clamping part 39 (threadedly connected to tensionrod 38) is formed a chamber 42 which is made fluid tight by seals 43.Pressure fluid may be admitted through a pressure fluid canal 44 and itsfitting 45. The pressure fluid entering the chamber presses the supportarea 41 and the opposite face area of clamping part 39 apart and placesthe rod 38 in tension and stretches it. By this method of operation, thetension originated by the ring nut 40 is partially eliminated, theholding thread is relieved, and the ring nut 40 (positioned in a recessof the face area of the roll 36) may be removed easily for changingrolls. At the same time, through the hydraulic stretching of tension rod38, the conical roll may be tightened. The roll will be brought firstinto its ideal position. In this position, the tension part 39 may nowbe guided in and screwed onto the tension rod; the ring nut 40 will beput on last and tightened with a tool. The chamber 42 will now be placedunder hydraulic pressure, the tension rod will be stretched and, withoutany great force, the ring nut 40 may be tightened further until thedesired position is reached. By relieving the pressure, the tension rod38 contracts somewhat and the tension force created by it will now beused alone for putting the roll 36 under ten- SIOI].

Also in the example shown in FIG. 2, the sliding sleeve 37 is held andsecured against turning inside the hollow shaft 46 which is driven bygear teeth. The axial adjustment of the sliding sleeve 37 is introducedby an adjusting sleeve 49 which is rotatably maintained between supportbearings 47 and 48, but it is not movable in the axial direction. Whenthe adjusting sleeve has its upper end designed in such a way that itmay be form-locked and gripped by a wrench, the axial adjustment of therolls 36 may be brought about manually. In the example shown in FIG. 2,however, a motorized adjustment is again made by the super-imposed motorof the driving planetary drive (not shown in FIG. 2) of the roll head.The end of the adjusting sleeve 49 is surrounded by a coupling sleeve 50of bell-shaped design which is connected by means of a key 51 and akeyway 52 to the adjusting sleeve 49 along the entire displacement area.In the operating position shown, the coupling sleeve 50 has keys 53engaging corresponding keyways formed in the shaft housing 54. When theadjusting screw 55 is operated, the coupling sleeve 50 is lifted and thekeys 53 move out of the keyways of the shaft housing; the keys56 thenengage into keyways 57 in the hollow shaft 46 in the work position ofthe coupling sleeve, not shown. With the arrangement shown in theoperating position of the coupling sleeve, driving of the hollow shaft46 turns the sliding sleeve 37 against the adjusting sleeve 49, so thatan axial adjustment results. In the inoperative position of the couplingsleeve, the adjusting sleeve 49 is connected tightly against turningwith the hollow shaft 46, so that any displacement is prevented. Theoperation of the coupling sleeve may be easily made by means ofadjusting screws 55 in the roll head. It is possible to adjust theconical rolls 36 by equal amounts, as well as make corrections of theaxial position of individual bevel rollers when individual couplingsleeves are operated alone.

The invention may be varied in many ways. For example, the adjustingsleeves can be adjusted with wrenches gripping the free end, as alreadymentioned. For practical purposes, a locking device can be providedwhich, after the desired adjustment has been accomplished, secures theadjusting sleeves against unintentional operation. Furthermore, it ispossible to hold the adjusting sleeve by an adjusting thread in theattached hollow shaft; the connection between the adjusting sleeve andsliding sleeve is made in such a way that their axial position isdefinitely determined, but relative turning between them is stillpossible. For practical purposes, this connection is brought about insuch a way that the main parts of the face areas of the adjustingsleeves and the sliding sleeves bear against each other, so that thehigh axial forces created during rolling operation are distributed overlarge areas. In every case, the result is easy axial adjustment of therolls in connection with the possibility of changing rolls simply andwith small consumption of time. In the preferred embodiment, theadjustment may be powerdriven and controlled with relatively littlecost, so that the adjusting operations take little time. The possibilityof a common, synchronized adjustment by a drive from one driving devicemakes the adjustment operations far simpler, without losing thepossibility of correcting the axial adjustment of individual rolls.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form andconstruction of the invention without departing from the material spiritthereof. It is not, however, desired to confine the invention to theexact form herein shown and described, but it is desired to include allsuch as properly come within the scope claimed.

The invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new anddesired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A roll head with cantilever-supported rolls inclined toward therolling stock axis and adjustable relative to the rolling stock,

characterized by the fact that the shafts (12) of the conical rolls (1)are formed as hollow adjusting shafts in which sliding sleeves (5) arepositioned and secured against turning, that the axial positions of thesleeves determine the adjusting position, and that tension rods (6)extend through the sliding sleeves, have collars (7) resting on anextension (8) of the sliding sleeves, and have threads which tighten theconical rolls against the free end of the sliding sleeves.

2. A roll head as recited in claim 1 characterized by the fact that thesliding sleeves are designed with a thread which engages threads formedon adjusting sleeves (16) which are arranged inside hollow shaft (12)and are secured in the axial direction.

3. A roll head as recited in claim 2,

characterized by the fact that the sliding sleeves (5) are connected tothe hollow shafts (12) to prevent relative turning.

4. A roll head as recited in claim 1 characterized by the fact thatadjusting sleeves (16) are provided, and each adjusting sleeve (16) isturnable relative to the hollow shaft (12) by means of driving devices.

5. A roll head as recited in claim 1 characterized by the fact thatadjusting sleeves (16) are provided, and the adjusting sleeves (16) canbe connected to driving devices.

6. A roll head as recited in claim 1 characterized by the fact thatadjusting sleeves (16) are provided, and the adjusting sleeves (16) areassociated selectively to controllable coupling sleeves (20) which, intheir first position, connect the adjusting sleeves with the shafthousing (30) to prevent relative turning and in their operating positionconnect the adjusting sleeves to the hollow shaft (12).

7. A roll head as recited in claim 6 characterized by the fact that thecoupling sleeves (20) are provided with springs (22) which press thecoupling sleeves against a support.

8. A roll head as recited in claim 6 characterized by the fact that eachcoupling sleeve (20) is provided with a pressure fluid adjusting device.

9. A roll head as recited in claim 6 characterized by the fact thatadjusting areas are provided, and the adjusting devices of the couplingsleeves (20) operate against springs (26) which, in the working positionof the coupling sleeves, lift their adjusting areas from the couplingsleeves.

10. A roll head as recited in claim 8 characterized by the fact that thecylinder spaces of the pressure fluid adjusting device are connected toan annular pressure fluid line (33).

11. A roll head as recited in claim 10 characterized by the fact thatthe annular pressure fluid line (33) is equipped with a connectingfitting (35) for the connection to a pressure fluid source.

12. A roll head as recited in claim 10 characterized by the fact thatshut-off valves are arranged between the annular pressure fluid line(33) and the cylinder spaces of the pressure fluid adjusting devices.

13. A roll head as recited in claim 1 characterized by the fact thatcarrier parts (2) are provided, and the carrier parts (2) are providedin heir root area contain a predetermined breaking point (3) which isunder stress by adjust forces and driving momentum.

14. A roll head as recited in claim 1 characterized by the fact thatcarrier parts (2) are provided, and the carrier part (2) is of such acone-shaped design at the side facing the sliding sleeve, that thevertex angle of the cone exceeds always double the slope angle of theroll shaft rela-- tive to the rolling stock axis.

15. A roll head as recited in claim 1 characterized by the fact thatbetween opposed shoulder areas of the tension rod (38) and other partsthere are chambers (42) formed to which pressure fluid is admitted tostretch the tension rod and through this action relieve stress of thethreads which keep the rolls (36) in tension.

1. A roll head with cantilever-supported rolls inclined toward therolling stock axis and adjustable relative to the rolling stock,characterized by the fact that the shafts (12) of the conical rolls (1)are formed as hollow adjusting shafts in which sliding sleeves (5) arepositioned and secured against turning, that the axial positions of thesleeves determine the adjusting position, and that tension rods (6)extend through the sliding sleeves, have collars (7) resting on anextension (8) of the sliding sleeves, and have threads which tighten theconical rolls against the free end of the sliding sleeves.
 2. A rollhead as recited in claim 1 characterized by the fact that the slidingsleeves (5) are designed with a thread which engages threads formed onadjusting sleeves (16) which are arranged inside hollow shaft (12) andare secured in the axial direction.
 3. A roll head as recited in claim2, characterized by the fact that the sliding sleeves (5) are connectedto the hollow shafts (12) to prevent relative turning.
 4. A roll head asrecited in claim 1 characterized by the fact that adjusting sleeves (16)are provided, and each adjusting sleeve (16) is turnable relative to thehollow shaft (12) by means of driving devices.
 5. A roll head as recitedin claim 1 characterized by the fact that adjusting sleeves (16) areprovided, and the adjusting sleeves (16) can be connected to drivingdevices.
 6. A roll head as recited in claim 1 characterized by the factthat adjusting sleeves (16) are provided, and the adjusting sleeves (16)are associated selectively to controllable coupling sleeves (20) which,in their first position, connect the adjusting sleeves with the shafthousing (30) to prevent relative turning and in their operating positionconnect the adjusting sleeves to the hollow shaft (12).
 7. A roll headas recited in claim 6 characterized by the fact that the couplingsleeves (20) are provided with springs (22) which press the couplingsleeves against a support.
 8. A roll head as recited in claim 6characterized by the fact that each coupling sleeve (20) is providedwith a pressure fluid adjusting device.
 9. A roll head as recited inclaim 6 characterized by the fact that adjusting areas are provided, andthe adjusting devices of the coupling sleeves (20) operate againstsprings (26) which, in the working position of the coupling sleeves,lift their adjusting areas from the coupling sleeves.
 10. A roll head asrecited in claim 8 characterized by the fact that the cylinder spaces ofthe pressure fluid adjusting device are connected to an annular pressurefluid line (33).
 11. A roll head as recited in claim 10 characterized bythe fact that the annular pressure fluid line (33) is equipped with aconnecting fitting (35) for the connection to a pressure fluid source.12. A roll head as recited in claim 10 characterized by the fact thatshut-off valves are arranged between the annular pressure fluid line(33) and the cylinder spaces of the pressure fluid adjusting devices.13. A roll head as recited in claim 1 characterized by the fact thatcarrier parts (2) are provided, and the carrier parts (2) are providedin their root area contain a predetermined breaking point (3) which isunder stress by adjust forces and driving momentum.
 14. A roll head asrecited in claim 1 characterized by the fact that carrier parts (2) areprovided, and the carrier part (2) is of such a cone-shaped design atthe side facing the sliding sleeve, that the vertex angle of the coneexceeds always double the slope angle of the roll shaft relative to therolling stock axis.
 15. A roll head as recited in claim 1 characterizedby the fact that between opposed shoulder areas of the tension rod (38)and other parts there are chambers (42) formed to which pressure fluidis admitted to stretch the tension rod and through this action relievestress of the threads which keep the rolls (36) in tension.